Keeping the Faith (2000) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, Jenna Elfman, Anne Bancroft, Eli Wallach, Milos Forman and Ron Rifkin. Directed by Norton. Written by Stuart Blumberg.
Hey, did you hear the one about the priest, the rabbi and the blonde they both loved?
That's the one-joke premise of "Keeping the Faith," a new comedy that marks the directorial debut of actor Edward Norton.
And while the film is an appealing romantic comedy, it does have its drawbacks. But let's stick with the positives for now.
Best friends Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) and Brian Kilkenny Finn (Norton) call themselves `the God Squad.' Jake is a rabbi, Brian, a priest. Both are young and hip and want to take their respective flocks into the 21st century.
Both are popular, packing the pews at their respective houses of worship.
As children, Jake and Brian plus Anna Reilly were inseparable, the best of friends. Then Anna's father was transferred to San Francisco.
Years later, Anna (Jenna Elfman), now a high-powered executive, returns to New York and looks up her old buddies. Once again the three are inseparable. Except that now, complications arise.
Sparks begin to fly and a highly unusual love triangle develops, with Anna in the middle.
The trio make an attractive couple. The camera just loves Elfman. She is beautiful, charismatic and a fine comedic actress with impeccable timing instincts.
Stiller is charming as the bachelor rabbi fending off all the mamas who continually try to fix him up with their available daughters.
is sincere and dedicated as a young priest who is wise, pragmatic and spiritual.
All three do well with their comic turns, especially Stiller who seems continually harried as he tries to appease everyone in his Manhattan congregation.
And while "Keeping the Faith" is enjoyable, the script by Stuart Blumberg, a fellow Yale graduate and classmate of Norton's, contains some flaws.
Everything seems too glossy, crises are resolved too easily, situations seem pat.
There doesn't seem to be any serious conflict. It's as if Blumberg decided not to cross some invisible line, so he downplayed the real-life consequences of a priest having bouts of self-doubt about his avocation, or a rabbi fretting over the import of a relationship with a non-Jewish woman.
Yet, you can't help but like "Keeping the Faith." it is a sunny, New York fairy tale with a fine supporting cast, including Anne Bancroft, Eli Wallach, Ron Rifkin and Milos Forman.
As a director, Norton is fine with handling his actors. He never allows the proceedings to go overboard.
He knows how to use his camera and compose his shots. But he needs to be more brutal in the editing room. At two hours and nine minutes, "Keeping the Faith" contains a few dead spots that tighter editing could have eliminated.
"Keeping the Faith" offers another benefit. In this cynical age, its comforting to see a movie about two intelligent young men who can commit to a life that basically eschews the crass materialism and commercialism that dominates our society.
These are two men who hear God's calling and answer it without hesitation.
The movie's resolution, unfortunately, is too simple, and a bit unrealistic.
But that should not discourage anyone from viewing this cheery confection.
What is especially interesting will be to watch Norton's maturation as a director. With just seven movies under his belt as an actor, he already has gained a reputation as one of the finest and most dynamic actors in years.
You can only imagine the heights he will be able to reach behind the camera.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, In. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at bobbloom@iquest.net. An associate member of the Online Film Critics Society, Bloom's reviews can be found online at http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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